The present invention relates to the creation of false three-dimensional images in an amusement center, such as a haunted house. A viewer passing through an amusement center employing the method and system of the present invention is provided with stereoscopic glasses which alter the perceived depth of objects in three-dimensional space. The viewer is thus presented with a variety of three-dimensional illusions that are enhanced by certain combinations of lighting, fluorescing surfaces, and theatrical presentation and staging.
The use of stereoscopic lenses to alter the perceived depth of objects based on their wavelength (color) is well-known in the art. Such lenses are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,634; 4,717,239; and 5,002,364 issued to Steenblik. Each of these patents is incorporated herein by reference.
A stereoscopic lens is essentially a single or double prism. As described in the Steenblik references, when an image is viewed through a single prism, blue light emanating from the image passes through the prism and is bent through at a sharper angle than red light emanating from the same image. The eyes must then turn more inward to see the blue portion of the image as compared to the red portion, even though the images are actually in the same plane in three-dimensional space. The brain interprets, by parallax, the blue portion of the image as being closer to the viewer, and the red portion of the image as being more distant, provided that the parallax is not greatly overridden by or contradicted by other visual cues such as relative size, composition, and perspective. Of course, these optics can be reversed so that blue images appear more distant, and red images appear closer to the viewer, as described in the Steenblik references.
Single prisms, however, can cause visual disorientation and eye strain (because the eyes are being focused at a distance which is different from the focal point the brain expects based on the parallax of the eyes). Therefore, a double prism lens is often preferred. A double prism arrangement, as described in the Steenblik references, effectively pushes the image distance back to coincide with the actual object distance, thereby making the point in space upon which the eyes focus coincide with the point they expect to focus on. This pushing of the image back to the object distance allows the image to move as the brain expects it to. Such a double prism arrangement can be easily and inexpensively incorporated into lightweight plastic glasses, such as those distributed by Chromatek, Inc. of Marietta, Georgia. The Chromatek glasses employ a double prism arrangement that results in red images appearing nearest to the viewer and blue images appearing most distant from the viewer. These glasses are the preferred stereoscopic lenses employed in the method and system of the present invention.
Although the described lenses are needed to view the three-dimensional illusions, environmental factors, such as, for example, color arrangements, lighting, and relative object size, can vastly enhance the illusions created. It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a method of creating, in an amusement center, false three-dimensional images viewable through the described lenses by forming specific patterns that enhance the three-dimensional effect.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of creating false three-dimensional images that employs specific lighting techniques that enhance the three-dimensional effect.
These and other objects will become readily apparent upon a reading of the description herein with the appended drawings.
The present invention is a method and system for producing false three-dimensional images for amusement. Particularly, the method described herein may be used in haunted houses, fun houses, or similar attractions found at fairs, amusement parks, and/or tourist areas. The method includes forming specific color and geometric patterns on a substantially black background illuminated by ultraviolet light and then viewing the resultant images through the preferred stereoscopic lenses.